This Dec 7, 2020 handout picture released by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) shows the trophy displayed on stage before the UEFA preliminary draw for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in the Hallenstadion in Zurich. (KURT SCHORRER / FIFA / AFP)

KUALA LUMPUR - A series of Asian qualifying matches for the 2022 FIFA World Cup have been postponed until June due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Friday.

The matches scheduled for March are instead set to be played in June on a centralized basis as part of a rescheduling of the competition

The AFC said that it had made a joint decision with football's global governing body FIFA to postpone a series of qualifiers for both the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, which had been scheduled to take place on March 25 and 30. 

The decision was made after "taking into consideration the existing travel and quarantine restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic across the continent and following a process of close consultation with Asia's member associations," said Asian football's governing body.

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The matches scheduled for March are instead set to be played in June on a centralized basis as part of a rescheduling of the competition.

With restrictive travel and quarantine regulations currently in place, Asian teams have not played any FIFA World Cup qualifiers since November 2019.